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Board to weigh Bochenko resignation

Posted: Thursday, March 11, 1999

By Wayne FordOconee Editor

WATKINSVILLE -- Oconee County Board of Education member Bill Stroud says he pushed to schedule a special board meeting on Monday so that issues involving the high school can be heard before the district's fall schedule is set.

''I want an open forum with a neutral facilitator and we need it now,'' Stroud said Wednesday.

Among the issues Stroud wants the board to consider is the resignation of high school Principal Mike Bochenko, who quit in January to explore other administrative jobs in the area.

Talk in the community has been focused on finding underlying reasons for the surprise departure of Bochenko, the principal since 1996. Stroud wants the board to reconsider its acceptance of Bochenko's resignation.

Doug Eza, assistant to the superintendent for the Oconee school system, said the meeting will be at 7 p.m. Monday at the board office on School Street.

Eza said board members decided that based on what happened at last Monday's meeting they would hold another public hearing to hear the issues further.

''Is it the graduation requirements? Is it the eligibility? Is it the number of fine arts courses? What is it that is creating all this concern among parents?'' he said.

''Hopefully, we'll be able to find some resolution, but I know emotions are running high,'' he said.

Stroud said he was not inclined to accept Bochenko's resignation based ''on what has subsequently come out. That the dilemma at the high school is not caused by the high school administration. It's been caused by insufficiency on the part of the superintendent and the board both to deliver timely direction and to hire the number of personnel.''

Stroud, who is often at odds with other board members, said nothing will change with regard to Bochenko's resignation unless the public responds.

''Otherwise I'm going to be a voice in the wilderness.''

Stroud said the board needs to discuss the curriculum, an issue that several parents addressed at the last meeting.

The school has increased the number of academic courses required for graduation, but some parents have said changes in the requirements went too far and are keeping some students from taking enough fine arts courses.

''I want to persuade the board to accept changes to their 21 core-course graduation requirement to include fine arts and to reduce the 21 requirement by some amount,'' Stroud said.

''And I want them to agree to put a reasonable graduation policy in effect before the next school year. And I want us to bend heaven and Earth to do it. Whatever it takes.''

Earlier this month the board discussed having a public forum for parents to express their ideas after a new high school principal is hired. Superintendent Debra Harden said she would have a recommendation on March 29.

But Stroud objected to having the forum in April or May.

''In other words, after next fall's schedule is already set. So what that does effectively, it makes any discussions mute,'' he said.

Stroud has accused the board of adding to the problem by issuing directives ''incrementally and without community input.''

He tried to bolster this argument by pointing out the board increased core requirements from 16 to 18 in July 1997; then from 18 to 21 in February; and then added career academies at mid-year. This led to scheduling problems and confusion among parents, he argues.

At the last meeting, Stroud gave a strongly worded report in which he claimed the board had not communicated effectively with citizens and that the system is ''burdened with a top-down management style.''

At the same meeting Harden went over ways that citizens can communicate with the school board.